Liquid crystal lens, driving method, glasses, electronic product, VR / AR device

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal lenses, and specifically relates to liquid crystal lenses, driving methods, glasses, electronic products, and VR / AR devices. The liquid crystal lens of the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer, a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a first transparent substrate, and a second transparent substrate, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer being located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer, the first transparent substrate being located on the side of the first electrode layer facing the liquid crystal layer, the second transparent substrate being located on the side of the second electrode layer facing the liquid crystal layer, the second electrode layer including a first electrical connector, a second electrical connector, and a plurality of conductors, the conductors extending from the center to the periphery of the second electrode layer, one end of the conductors being electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the other opposite end being connected to the second electrical connector, and the pitch between adjacent conductors is 100 μm or less. The liquid crystal lens of the present invention has a simple driving method, can form an ideal potential distribution, and is not affected by changes in the characteristics of a high resistance film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid crystal lenses, and specifically relates to liquid crystal lenses, driving methods, glasses, electronic products, and VR / AR devices.

Background Art

[0002] Myopic patients generally correct their vision by wearing myopia glasses. However, as people age, presbyopia also occurs in myopic patients. To reduce the impact of myopia and presbyopia on life, in many cases, patients need to prepare two different pairs of glasses, wear myopia glasses when looking at distant scenery, and replace them with presbyopia glasses when looking at nearby scenery. Frequent replacement of glasses brings a lot of inconvenience to patients. Also, in VR or AR devices, the left and right eyes of the user correspond to different screens respectively. Different consumers have different face shapes and facial features, and the interpupillary distances of the two eyes of different users are also different. Therefore, if the focal length of the optical lens in VR or AR devices is fixed, it will inevitably affect the user's experience when wearing VR or AR devices. In contrast, currently, multiple sets of large-aperture liquid crystal lenses with concentric ring-shaped electrodes are adopted as the lenses of glasses. Such lenses can change the focal length of the liquid crystal lens by changing the driving voltage applied to the electrodes, and thereby can quickly and easily switch the lens of the glasses between two modes of positive lens and negative lens. In this way, users can realize the functions of myopia glasses and presbyopia glasses by using the same pair of glasses. Using such lenses in VR or AR devices can also adjust the focal length of the lens according to different user needs.

[0003] However, to adopt a plurality of sets of concentric circular electrode pair structures, it is necessary to drive and control each concentric circular electrode. The driving and control method is relatively complex, there are many electrodes that need to be drawn out, and moreover, a smooth potential distribution cannot be achieved. Also, in order to realize a preferable voltage distribution, those skilled in the art have proposed providing a high-resistance film on the liquid crystal lens to form a gradually changing voltage distribution. However, because the properties of the high-resistance film are unstable, the potential distribution may change over time. Although the high-resistance film can realize a more preferable potential distribution, it cannot be held for a long time. Since those skilled in the art proposed adopting a high-resistance film on the liquid crystal lens, they have hoped to solve the influence caused by the unstable characteristics of the high-resistance film, but so far it has not been well solved.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a liquid crystal lens, a driving method, glasses, an electronic product, and a VR / AR device in order to solve the technical problem that there are many electrodes that need to individually apply a driving voltage to a conventional large-aperture liquid crystal lens, and an ideal and stable potential distribution cannot be formed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The technical solution adopted in the present invention is as follows.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention is a liquid crystal lens including a liquid crystal layer, a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a first transparent substrate, and a second transparent substrate, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are respectively located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer, the first transparent substrate is located on the side of the first electrode layer facing away from the liquid crystal layer, and the second transparent substrate is located on the side of the second electrode layer facing away from the liquid crystal layer. The second electrode layer includes a first electrical connector, a second electrical connector, and a plurality of conductive wires. The conductive wires extend from the center to the periphery of the second electrode layer. One end of each conductive wire is electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the opposite end is connected to the second electrical connector. The first electrical connector is used to provide a first driving voltage to the end of the conductive wire electrically connected thereto. The second electrical connector is used to provide a second driving voltage to the end of the conductive wire electrically connected thereto. A liquid crystal lens is provided in which the pitch between adjacent conductive wires is 100 μm or less.

[0007] Preferably, the first electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of the respective conductive wires electrically connected thereto, and / or the second electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of the respective conductive wires electrically connected thereto, and / or the second electrical connector is a porous electrode.

[0008] Preferably, the plurality of conductive wires are rotationally symmetric about a point in the second electrode layer.

[0009] Preferably, the first electrical connector is a first electrode lead. The first electrode lead has one end near the center of the second electrode layer of the conductive wire drawn outwards. The conductive wire includes a plurality of curved segments arranged from the outside to the inside. Each curved segment is interrupted at the electrode lead. The curved segment located at the outermost periphery has one end electrically connected to the second electrical connector and the opposite end connected to the adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead. The curved segment closest to the center of the second electrode layer has one end electrically connected to the first electrode lead and the opposite end connected to the adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead. The remaining curved segments have one end connected to one of the adjacent curved segments on the same side as the first electrode lead and the opposite end connected to the other of the adjacent curved segments on the same side as the first electrode lead.

[0010] Preferably, the curve segment is an arc, and the pitch between adjacent curve segments is equal or unequal.

[0011] Preferably, the pitch between adjacent curve segments satisfies that the potential distribution formed by the liquid crystal lens is a spherical distribution, a conical surface distribution, or a paraboloid surface distribution.

[0012] Preferably, the shape of the conducting wire is a helix.

[0013] Preferably, the shape of the conducting wire is a helix obtained from a first helix equation, a second helix equation, or a third helix equation. The first helix equation is JPEG0007712721000001.jpg38170 The second helix equation is JPEG0007712721000002.jpg19170 However, JPEG0007712721000003.jpg38170 The third helix equation is JPEG0007712721000004.jpg43170

[0014] Preferably, a high-resistance film is provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, or a high-resistance film is provided between the second electrode layer and the second transparent substrate.

[0015] Preferably, an insulating layer is provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer.

[0016] A high-resistance film is provided between the insulating layer and the liquid crystal layer.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present invention provides glasses including the liquid crystal lens described in the first aspect.

[0018] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a VR / AR device including the liquid crystal lens described in the first aspect.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides an electronic product including a control circuit and the liquid crystal lens according to the first aspect, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a driving method for a liquid crystal lens for driving the liquid crystal lens according to the first aspect. Let the voltage applied between the transparent circular electrode and the first electrode layer be V1, and the voltage applied between the circular hole electrode and the first electrode layer be V2. The method includes: S1, obtaining the liquid crystal linear response voltage range of the liquid crystal lens; S2, obtaining the minimum voltage V min and the maximum voltage V max within the liquid crystal linear operation range based on the liquid crystal linear response voltage range; S3, adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens and / or switching the state of the liquid crystal lens between a positive lens and a negative lens, and adjusting the voltage difference between V1 (V min ≤V1≤V max ) and V2 (V min ≤V2≤V max ) based on the minimum voltage V min and the maximum voltage V max ;

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] The beneficial effects are as follows. The liquid crystal lens, driving method, glasses, electronic product, and VR / AR device of the present invention electrically connect the circular hole electrode and the transparent circular electrode located at the center of the circular hole electrode by using an electrode array, and optimize the potential distribution by limiting the pitch between adjacent conductors in the electrode array to 100 μm or less, so that the potential change of the liquid crystal lens is smoother. The present invention can form an ideal spatial electric field distribution only by applying a driving voltage to both opposite ends of each conductor, and can realize the effect of a large-aperture liquid crystal lens. Compared with the conventional method using concentric ring electrodes, the present invention has fewer electrodes that need to be individually applied with a driving voltage, is easy to drive, does not cause a sudden change in potential that is not smooth, is not affected by changes in the characteristics of the high-resistance film, and can stably maintain the potential distribution over a long period of time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] To more clearly explain the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings that need to be used in the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor, and all of these are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention while referring to the embodiments of the present invention. In this specification, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are merely used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and it should be noted that it does not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are merely for the convenience of explaining the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation and must be configured and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Also, terms such as "including", "comprising", or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements specific to such a process, method, article, or device. Unless otherwise specifically restricted, for elements defined by the phrase "comprising...", the presence of further identical elements in the process, method, article, or device including the said elements is not excluded. As long as there is no contradiction, the embodiments of the present invention and each feature in the embodiments can be combined with each other, and all are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] Embodiment 1 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this embodiment provides a liquid crystal lens, and the liquid crystal lens includes a liquid crystal layer 30, a first electrode layer 20, a second electrode layer 40, a first transparent substrate 10, and a second transparent substrate 50. The first electrode layer 20 and the second electrode layer 40 are respectively located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer 30. The first transparent substrate 10 is located on the side of the first electrode layer 20 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the second transparent substrate 50 is located on the side of the second electrode layer 40 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30.

[0025] The liquid crystal lens in this embodiment can adopt a layered structure. The aforementioned first transparent substrate 10, first electrode layer 20, liquid crystal layer 30, second electrode layer 40, and second transparent substrate 50 are located in different layers, and each of the above layers is stacked and arranged along the light transmission direction of the liquid crystal lens, that is, along the normal direction of each layer. The arrangement method can refer to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, from bottom to top along the light transmission direction of the liquid crystal lens, they are the first transparent substrate 10, the first electrode layer 20, the liquid crystal layer 30, the second electrode layer 40, and the second transparent substrate 50 in sequence. The first transparent substrate 10 and the second transparent substrate 50 may be made of a transparent material having a certain strength and rigidity, such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. The first substrate can play a role in supporting the liquid crystal lens. The first substrate can be a carrier for the first electrode layer 20, and the first electrode layer 20 can be plated on the first substrate. The second substrate also plays a supporting role and can also be a carrier for the second electrode layer 40, and the second electrode layer 40 can be plated on the second substrate.

[0026] The second electrode layer 40 includes a first electrical connector, a second electrical connector, and a plurality of conductive wires 431. The conductive wires 431 extend from the center of the second electrode layer to the periphery. One end of the conductive wire 431 is electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the opposite other end is connected to the second electrical connector. The conductive wire in this embodiment may be a wire having a certain resistance, or may be a thin conductive wire having a certain resistance and plated on the second substrate. The plurality of conductive wires 431 extend in the second electrode layer to form an electrode array 43. The plurality of conductive wires 431 means that the number of conductive wires may be 1 or more than 2.

[0027] The first electrical connector is used to provide a first driving voltage to one end of a conducting wire electrically connected thereto, and the second electrical connector is used to provide a second driving voltage to one end of a conducting wire electrically connected thereto. When specifically implemented, by connecting the first electrical connector to a power source that provides the first driving voltage, the first driving voltage provided by the power source can be applied through the first electrical connector to one end close to the center of the second electrode layer of the conducting wire. By connecting the second electrical connector to a power source that provides the second driving voltage, the second driving voltage provided by the power source can also be applied through the second electrical connector to one end far from the center of the second electrode layer of the conducting wire.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first electrical connector can employ a sealed or unsealed annular electrode, and the second electrical connector can also employ a sealed or unsealed annular electrode.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first electrical connector can employ a transparent electrode, a circular electrode, or a transparent circular electrode, and can also employ a transparent electrode of any other shape or an opaque electrode of any shape. The second electrical connector can employ a porous electrode. The shape of the pores can be any shape such as square, circular, elliptical, polygonal, etc. As a preferred form, the porous electrode is a circular hole electrode. As shown in FIG. 3, when a circular transparent electrode is employed, the center of the circular transparent electrode 42 is located at the center of the circular hole of the circular hole electrode 41, and the first electrode layer 20 is a transparent electrode layer.

[0030] The circular hole electrode 41, the circular transparent electrode 42, and the conducting wire 431 are located in the same layer. A circular through hole is provided in the circular hole electrode 41, and the circular transparent electrode 42 is at the center position of the circular through hole. In this way, an annular space is left between the hole and the circular transparent electrode 42, and the conducting wire 431 is located in the annular space.

[0031] The electrode array 43 includes a plurality of conductive wires 431. One end of each conductive wire 431 is electrically connected to the circular transparent electrode 42, and the opposite end is electrically connected to the circular hole electrode 41. The conductive wire 431 extends from the outer periphery of the circular transparent electrode 42 to the inner wall of the circular hole of the circular hole electrode 41, and the pitch between adjacent conductive wires 431 is 100 μm or less.

[0032] In this embodiment, a conductive wire 431 having a certain resistance value is arranged between the circular hole electrode 41 and the circular transparent electrode 42. Since the length of the conductive wire 431 is larger than its width and thickness, the conductive wire 431 is linear. The number of conductive wires 431 may be one or more than one. Both ends of each conductive wire 431 are electrically connected to the circular hole electrode 41 and the circular transparent electrode 42 respectively.

[0033] In this embodiment, the first electrode layer 20 is a transparent electrode layer. In this embodiment, the circular transparent electrode 42, each conductive wire 431, and the circular hole electrode 41 may all be made of a transparent conductive material, and the transparent conductive material includes, but is not limited to, ITO electrodes, IZO electrodes, FTO electrodes, AZO electrodes, IGZO electrodes, etc.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first electrode layer 20 is used to receive a common voltage, the circular transparent electrode 42 is used to receive a first driving voltage, and the circular hole electrode 41 is used to receive a second driving voltage. Since the circular transparent electrode 42 is located at the middle position of the circular hole of the circular hole electrode 41, in order to facilitate applying the first driving voltage to the circular transparent electrode 42, in this embodiment, the liquid crystal lens further includes an electrode lead, and the electrode lead is drawn out from the circular transparent electrode 42. One end of the electrode lead is electrically connected to the circular transparent electrode 42, and the other end is electrically connected to a control circuit that outputs a first driving voltage.

[0035] As described above, after applying a voltage, the electric field in the liquid crystal layer 30 will exhibit a gradient distribution. For example, in the circular hole region of the circular hole electrode 41, the change of the voltage in the liquid crystal layer 30 along the radial direction is such that the voltage value gradually increases from the center of the circular hole to the edge of the circular hole, and the voltage value tends to be maximum at the edge of the circular hole. Also, for example, in the circular hole region of the circular hole electrode 41, the change of the voltage in the liquid crystal layer 30 along the radial direction is such that the voltage value gradually decreases from the center of the circular hole to the edge of the circular hole, and the voltage value tends to be minimum at the edge of the circular hole. In this embodiment, by guiding the potential distribution of the liquid crystal lens with the conducting wire 431 whose both ends are connected to the circular transparent electrode 42 and the circular hole electrode 41 respectively, the potential distribution is gradually changed along the radial direction of the liquid crystal lens without generating a steep step - like change. Also, if the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment is adopted, the liquid crystal lens can be driven to operate only by applying two driving voltages, namely the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage, and the control of the power of the liquid crystal lens can be realized only by adjusting one of these two driving voltages or adjusting both of them simultaneously, without the need for extra electrode lead - out wires, and the control method is very simple.

[0036] The arrangement of the liquid crystal directors is adjustable to be electrically controlled and exhibits different refractive index gradient distributions in a non - uniform electric field. Therefore, if a voltage with a certain gradient distribution is applied, the liquid crystal directors will exhibit a non - uniform distribution, and the outgoing light propagated through the liquid crystal layer 30 can be guided to exhibit a specific phase distribution. As shown in FIG. 8, d in FIG. 8 is the pitch between adjacent conducting wires 431. In this embodiment, in the normal case, the high - resistance film adopted to guide the potential distribution is removed, and the pitch between adjacent conducting wires 431 is made 100 μm or less. In this embodiment, by controlling the pitch between adjacent conducting wires 431 to be 100 μm, even without using a high - resistance film, the change of the potential distribution can be made very gentle, and since there is no high - resistance film, there will be no change in the potential distribution of the liquid crystal lens due to the change of the characteristics of the high - resistance film.

[0037] In this embodiment, by changing the magnitude relationship between the first driving voltage applied to the circular transparent electrode 42 and the second driving voltage applied to the circular hole electrode 41, a change in the positive and negative of the power of the liquid crystal lens can be realized, and it can be realized that the liquid crystal lens changes from a negative lens to a positive lens or from a positive lens to a negative lens. For example, when the first driving voltage applied to the circular transparent electrode 42 is smaller than the second driving voltage applied to the circular hole electrode 41, the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment has the characteristics of a convex lens. In this case, the glasses manufactured with the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment can be used as presbyopic glasses. By changing the magnitude relationship between the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage, when the first driving voltage applied to the circular transparent electrode 42 is made larger than the second driving voltage applied to the circular hole electrode 41, the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment has the characteristics of a concave lens. In this case, the glasses manufactured with the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment can be used as myopic glasses.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, when the number of the conducting wires 431 of the electrode array 43 is two or more, the conducting wires 431 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the circular hole electrode 41. When the number of the conducting wires 431 is large, the conducting wires 431 of this embodiment can be guided so that the potential change in the operation region of the liquid crystal lens becomes gentler by adopting the above-described arrangement form. When the conducting wires 431 are rotationally symmetric about a point of the second electrode layer, the potential also forms a rotationally symmetric distribution. The rotationally symmetric distribution means that after all the figures formed by the conducting wires are simultaneously rotated by a predetermined angle about a fixed point of the second electrode layer, the new image formed by the conducting wires completely overlaps the previous image. When the number of the conducting wires is two or more, the first electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of the respective conducting wires electrically connected thereto. The second electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of the respective conducting wires electrically connected thereto.

[0039] As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the pitch between adjacent conducting wires 431 is the same. As another preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the width of each portion of the conducting wire 431 is the same.

[0040] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, when the pitch between adjacent conductive lines 431 is 100 μm or less, a relatively ideal potential distribution can also be obtained by adopting only one conductive line 431. The effect of the liquid crystal lens obtained as described above is as shown in the interference fringe diagram of FIG. 11.

[0041] As one preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the shape of the conductive line is a spiral. The starting point of the spiral may be at or near the center position of the second electrode layer. The spiral extends from the starting point position along the circumferential direction to draw a circle toward the edge of the second electrode layer. In the process where the spiral extends from the center position of the second electrode layer to the edge position of the second electrode layer, most regions of the second electrode layer are filled with the spiral, and the potential of the second electrode layer also gradually changes as the spiral extends. Therefore, a relatively ideal potential distribution can be obtained.

[0042] In this embodiment, by simply setting the shape of the conductive line for the liquid crystal lens, a potential distribution that accurately meets the functional requirements of various liquid crystal lenses can be obtained. The specific method for setting the shape of the conductive line is as follows.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the shape of the conductive line is a spiral obtained from a first spiral equation, and the first spiral equation is JPEG0007712721000005.jpg24170JPEG0007712721000006.jpg14170

[0044] JPEG0007712721000007.jpg31170

[0045] In this embodiment, the shape of the conductive line is a spiral obtained from a second spiral equation, and the second spiral equation is JPEG0007712721000008.jpg18170However, JPEG0007712721000009.jpg23170

[0046] JPEG0007712721000010.jpg14170

[0047] By adopting the conducting wire provided as described above, a potential presenting an accurate spherical distribution can be obtained, and the wavefront distribution of the obtained liquid crystal lens also becomes an accurate spherical distribution. A lens having a spherical wavefront has the most ideal effect in imaging. However, for a general lens, it is only after a complex process and precise contour machining that a lens having an approximate spherical wavefront distribution can be obtained. According to the description herein, a lens having an accurate spherical wavefront distribution can be obtained as long as the shape of the conducting wire meets the above requirements. A lens having a high-precision spherical wavefront distribution can be obtained without the need for complex machining, and the manufacturing cost of the product is significantly reduced.

[0048] The shape of the conducting wire is a helix obtained from a third helix equation, and the third helix equation is JPEG0007712721000011.jpg18170JPEG0007712721000012.jpg23170

[0049] By adopting the conducting wire provided as described above, a potential presenting an accurate conical surface distribution can be obtained, and the wavefront distribution of the obtained liquid crystal lens also becomes an accurate conical surface distribution.

[0050] JPEG0007712721000013.jpg19170

[0051] JPEG0007712721000014.jpg50170

[0052] The Archimedes spiral is an equidistant spiral, that is, the spiral is equidistant and spreads outward. In the spiral parameter equation, k represents the period during which the spiral spreads from the center to the edge.

[0053] As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the wire shape of the electrode unit is a Fermat spiral, and the mathematical formula of this shape is JPEG0007712721000015.jpg27170

[0054] The Fermat spiral differs from the Archimedes spiral in that as the spiral spreads outward, the radius of the spiral increases non-linearly, and the rate of increase in the radius of the spiral slows down as it spreads outward.

[0055] When only one conducting wire 431 is employed, the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment further includes a first electrode lead 60, and one end of the first electrode lead 60 close to the center of the second electrode layer of the conducting wire is drawn outwards.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the conducting wire 431 includes a plurality of curved segments arranged from the outside to the inside. The arrangement from the outside to the inside means that it is distributed from a position close to the center of the second electrode layer to a position close to the edge of the second electrode layer along the radial direction of the liquid crystal lens. The direction close to the center of the second electrode layer is regarded as the inside, and the direction away from the center of the second electrode layer is regarded as the outside. In this embodiment, one conducting wire 431 can be regarded as being composed of a plurality of curved segments whose ends are connected to each other.

[0057] Each curved segment is interrupted at the electrode lead in order to avoid contact or interaction with the electrode lead. After each curved segment is interrupted at the electrode lead, two ends are formed, and these two ends are located on both sides of the electrode lead respectively.

[0058] The curved segment 4311 located at the outermost periphery has one end electrically connected to the first electrode lead, and the opposite end connected to the adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead 60. The curved segment closest to the center of the second electrode layer has one end electrically connected to the first electrode lead, and the opposite end connected to the adjacent curved segment on the same side as the first electrode lead 60. The remaining curved segments have one end connected to one of the adjacent curved segments on the same side as the first electrode lead 60, and the opposite end connected to the other of the adjacent curved segments on the same side as the first electrode lead 60.

[0059] Of the plurality of curved segments that make up the conductive wire 431, two curved segments are special. One is the outermost curved segment 4311, that is, the curved segment farthest from the center of the second electrode layer. The other is the innermost curved segment 4312, that is, the curved segment closest to the center of the second electrode layer. One end of the outermost curved segment 4311 is connected to the second electrical connector, and the other end is connected to the next curved segment (the curved segment closer to the center of the second electrode layer in the radial direction). One end of the innermost curved segment 4312 is connected to the circular transparent electrode 42, and the other end is connected to the previous curved segment (the curved segment farther from the center of the second electrode layer in the radial direction). Among all the curved segments that make up the conductive wire 431, except for the two aforementioned curved segments, both ends of the remaining curved segments are connected to the adjacent curved segments. For the convenience of explaining these curved segments, they are also referred to as intermediate curved segments 4313 in this specification. The intermediate curved segment 4313 has one end connected to the previous curved segment and the other end connected to the next curved segment. In this way, these curved segments are connected end to end to form a single conductive wire 431 that continuously extends from a position close to the center of the second electrode layer to the edge position of the second electrode layer and is sufficiently filled in the second electrode layer. On the other hand, it skillfully avoids the first electrode lead 60 and avoids the influence of the first electrode lead 60 while realizing an accurate potential distribution. In this embodiment, the ends of two adjacent curved segments may be connected by a connecting segment 4314. That is, one end of the connecting segment 4314 is connected to the previous curved segment and the other end is connected to the next curved segment. The first electrode lead 60 can adopt a straight line, and each connecting segment 4314 can also adopt a straight line parallel to the first electrode lead 60.

[0060] JPEG0007712721000016.jpg33170

[0061] JPEG0007712721000017.jpg27170

[0062] As an embodiment, in this example, the curve segment is an arc, and the pitch between at least a part of the adjacent curve segments is not equal. In this example, by setting the pitch between the curve segments, the potential distribution of the liquid crystal lens can be controlled, and thereby the modulation effect of the liquid crystal lens on light can be controlled.

[0063] The pitch between each adjacent curve segment satisfies that the potential distribution formed by the liquid crystal lens is a spherical distribution. When the pitch between each adjacent curve segment satisfies the above-mentioned requirements, the wavefront distribution of the obtained liquid crystal lens becomes spherical. A lens with a spherical wavefront has the most ideal effect in imaging. Generally, a lens can obtain a lens with an approximate spherical wavefront distribution only after a complex process and precise profile machining. According to the description here, a lens with an accurate spherical wavefront distribution can be obtained only by satisfying the above-mentioned requirements for the pitch between the adjacent curve segments.

[0064] The pitch between each adjacent curve segment satisfies that the potential distribution formed by the liquid crystal lens is a conical surface distribution. When the pitch between each adjacent curve segment satisfies the above-mentioned requirements, the wavefront distribution of the obtained liquid crystal lens becomes a conical surface.

[0065] As a preferred form, in this example, a high-resistance film is provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer. Different from mainly using a high-resistance film to guide the potential distribution of the liquid crystal lens at the current stage, in this example, a high-resistance film is provided between the adjacent conductors mainly to reduce the spatial change of the electric field near the conductors. Since the pitch between the adjacent conductors is less than 100 μm and the potential distribution is mainly determined by the conductors, in this example, the influence of the change in the characteristics of the high-resistance film on the potential distribution can be ignored.

[0066] Alternatively, a high-resistance film may be provided between the second electrode layer and the second transparent substrate, an insulating layer may be provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, or an insulating layer may be provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, and a high-resistance film may be provided between the insulating layer and the liquid crystal layer to reduce the spatial change of the electric field near the conducting wire.

[0067] Example 2 This example provides a method for driving a liquid crystal lens for driving the liquid crystal lens according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Let the voltage applied between the first electrical connector and the first electrode layer 20 be V1, and the voltage applied between the second electrical connector and the first electrode layer 20 be V2. The method includes the following steps.

[0068] In S1, obtain the liquid crystal linear response voltage range of the liquid crystal lens.

[0069] The liquid crystal linear operation range refers to the voltage range in which the liquid crystal phase retardation amount and the driving voltage exhibit a linear relationship.

[0070] In S2, based on the liquid crystal linear response voltage range, obtain the minimum voltage V min and the maximum voltage V max within the liquid crystal linear operation range.

[0071] In S3, to adjust the power of the liquid crystal lens, adjust the voltage difference between V1 (V min and the maximum voltage V max based on V1 (V min ≤V1≤V max ) and V2 (V min ≤V2≤V max ).

[0072] In this step, the power of the liquid crystal lens can be adjusted by adjusting the value of V1 - V2. Specifically, when adjusting, the magnitude of V2 may be adjusted while maintaining V1 unchanged, the magnitude of V1 may be adjusted while maintaining V2 unchanged, or the magnitudes of V1 and V2 may be changed simultaneously. When adjusting the magnitude of V2 while maintaining V1 unchanged, V1 = V min or V1 = Vmax That is, the magnitude of V2 can be adjusted. When adjusting the magnitude of V1 while maintaining V2 unchanged, V2 = V min Or V2 = V max That is, the magnitude of V1 can be adjusted. In this embodiment, the state of the liquid crystal lens can be switched between a positive lens and a negative lens by further changing the magnitude relationship between V1 and V2.

[0073] Embodiment 3 In addition, the driving method of the liquid crystal lens of the above embodiment in the present invention described with reference to FIG. 10 can be realized by the driving device of the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of the driving device of the liquid crystal lens provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] The driving device of the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment can include a processor 401 and a memory 402 in which computer program instructions are stored.

[0075] Specifically, the above-mentioned processor 401 may include a central processing unit (CPU), or a specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), or may be configured as one or more integrated circuits for implementing the embodiments of the present invention.

[0076] Memory 402 can include a large-capacity memory for data or instructions. By way of example and not limitation, memory 402 can include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 402 can include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 402 can be internal or external to the data processing device. In a particular embodiment, memory 402 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In a particular embodiment, memory 402 includes a read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, this ROM can be a mask-programmed ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically rewritable ROM (EAROM), or a flash memory, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0077] The processor 401 reads and executes the computer program instructions stored in the memory 402, thereby implementing a data address addressing method for a random liquid crystal lens drive in any of the above embodiments.

[0078] In one example, the driving device of the liquid crystal lens of this embodiment can further include a communication interface 403 and a bus 410. As shown in FIG. 10, the processor 401, the memory 402, and the communication interface 403 are connected via the bus 410 to complete communication with each other.

[0079] The communication interface 403 is mainly used to realize communication between each module, device, unit and / or equipment in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0080] Bus 410 includes hardware, software, or both, and couples each component to each other. By way of example and not limitation, the bus can include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), a HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an InfiniBand interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or other suitable bus, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, bus 410 can include one or more buses. Embodiments of the present invention illustrate and depict a particular bus, but the present invention contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0081] Example 4 Also, referring to the method for driving a liquid crystal lens in the above embodiments, embodiments of the present invention can be realized by providing a computer-readable storage medium. A computer program instruction is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program instruction is executed by a processor, the method for driving any one of the liquid crystal lenses in the above embodiments is realized.

[0082] Example 5 This embodiment is glasses including the liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1. The glasses include a left-eye lens and a right-eye lens, and the liquid crystal lens according to Embodiment 1 is provided in each of the left-eye lens and the right-eye lens. The glasses further include a control circuit, and the control circuit includes a first focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the left-eye lens for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the left-eye lens, and a second focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the right-eye lens for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the right-eye lens.

[0083] Example 6 This example provides an electronic product including a control circuit and the liquid crystal lens according to any one of Example 1, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens. The electronic product includes, but is not limited to, imaging devices, display devices, mobile phones, wearable devices, etc.

[0084] Example 7 This example provides an AR device including the liquid crystal lens according to Example 1. Further, the AR device includes a first lens assembly and a second lens assembly. The first lens assembly includes at least one liquid crystal lens according to Example 1, and the second lens assembly includes at least one liquid crystal lens according to Example 1. The AR device further includes a first focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the first lens assembly for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the first lens assembly, and a second focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the second lens assembly for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the second lens assembly. In this example, the first lens assembly corresponds to the user's left eye, and the second lens assembly corresponds to the user's right eye.

[0085] In the AR device, since the left eye and the right eye respectively correspond to different screens, there are two sets of lens assemblies corresponding to the left eye and the right eye respectively. Since the interpupillary distances of both eyes of different users are different, if the focal length of the lens assembly is constant, inevitably, the experience of some users when wearing AR glasses will be poor. Since the face shapes and facial features of different consumers are different, the AR glasses in this example can achieve the function of adjusting the focal length by the liquid crystal lens according to Example 1. Both the interpupillary distance and the focal length are adjusted to reasonable positions so that the image is accurately positioned on the retina, a clear image is obtained, and a better user experience is brought to the user.

[0086] Example 8 This embodiment provides a VR device including the liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1. The VR device includes a third lens assembly and a fourth lens assembly. The third lens assembly includes at least one liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1, and the fourth lens assembly includes at least one liquid crystal lens described in Embodiment 1. The VR device further includes a third focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the third lens assembly for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the third lens assembly, and a fourth focus adjustment circuit electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens in the fourth lens assembly for adjusting the power of the liquid crystal lens in the fourth lens assembly. In this embodiment, the third lens assembly corresponds to the left eye of the user, and the fourth lens assembly corresponds to the right eye of the user.

[0087] In a VR device, since the left eye and the right eye respectively correspond to different screens, there are two sets of lens assemblies respectively corresponding to the left eye and the right eye. Since the interpupillary distances of both eyes of different users are different, if the focal length of the lens assembly is fixed, inevitably, the experience of some users when wearing VR glasses will deteriorate. Since the face shapes and facial features of different consumers are different, the VR glasses in this embodiment can achieve the function of adjusting the focal length by the liquid crystal lens according to Embodiment 1. By adjusting both the interpupillary distance and the focal length to reasonable positions, the image is accurately positioned on the retina, a clear image is obtained, and a better user experience is brought to the user.

[0088] The driving method, device, equipment, and storage medium of the liquid crystal lens provided by the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above.

[0089] It should be stated that the present invention is not limited to the specific arrangements and processes described and illustrated above. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods are omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and illustrated as examples. However, the process of the method of the present invention is not limited to the specific steps described and illustrated. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions or change the order between steps after understanding the spirit of the present invention.

[0090] The functional blocks shown in the structural block diagrams described above can be realized as hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. When realized in the form of hardware, it may be, for example, an electronic circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), appropriate firmware, a plug-in, a function card, etc. When realized in the form of software, the elements of the present invention are programs or code segments for performing necessary tasks. The program or code segment may be stored in a machine-readable medium or transmitted via a transmission medium or communication link by a data signal carried by a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, optical fiber media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. The code segment may be downloaded via a computer network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0091] In addition, in the exemplary embodiments referred to in the present invention, several methods or systems are described based on a series of steps or devices. However, the present invention is not limited to the order of the above steps, that is, the steps may be executed according to the order mentioned in the embodiments, the steps may be executed in an order different from the embodiments, or multiple steps may be executed simultaneously.

[0092] The above content is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention. As is apparent to those skilled in the art, for the sake of easy explanation and conciseness, the specific operation processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the embodiments of the method, and the description thereof is omitted here. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and it should be understood that any of these modifications or substitutions should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0093] 10 First transparent substrate 20 First electrode layer 30 Liquid crystal layer 40 Second electrode layer 41 Circular hole electrode 42 Circular transparent electrode 43 Electrode array 431 Conductive wire 50 Second transparent substrate 60 First electrode lead 4311 Outermost curved segment 4312 Innermost curved segment 4313 Intermediate curved segment 4314 Connecting segment

Claims

1. A liquid crystal lens including a liquid crystal layer, a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a first transparent substrate, and a second transparent substrate, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are respectively located on both opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer, the first transparent substrate is located on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer of the first electrode layer, and the second transparent substrate is located on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer of the second electrode layer. The second electrode layer includes a first electrical connector, a second electrical connector, and a conducting wire. The conducting wire extends from the center to the periphery of the second electrode layer. One end of the conducting wire is electrically connected to the first electrical connector, and the opposite end is connected to the second electrical connector. The first electrical connector is used to provide a first driving voltage to the end of the conducting wire electrically connected thereto, and the second electrical connector is used to provide a second driving voltage to the end of the conducting wire electrically connected thereto. The pitch between adjacent conducting wires is 100 μm or less. The first electrical connector is a first electrode lead, and one end of the first electrode lead close to the center of the second electrode layer of the conducting wire is drawn outwards. The conducting wire includes a plurality of curved segments arranged from the outside to the inside. Each curved segment is an arc segmented at the position of the first electrode lead. The curved segment located on the outermost periphery has one end electrically connected to the second electrical connector, and the opposite end is connected to the adjacent curved segment and the same side of the first electrode lead by a connecting segment. The curved segment closest to the center of the second electrode layer has one end electrically connected to the first electrode lead, and the opposite end is connected to the adjacent curved segment and the same side of the first electrode lead by a connecting segment. The remaining curved segments have one end connected to one of the adjacent curved segments and the same side of the first electrode lead by a connecting segment, and the opposite end is connected to the other of the adjacent curved segments and the same side of the first electrode lead by a connecting segment. The conducting wire is one, and the connecting segments do not face each other across the first electrode lead. A liquid crystal lens characterized by the above.

2. The first electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of each wire electrically connected thereto, and / or the second electrical connector is used to provide the same driving voltage to the ends of each wire electrically connected thereto, and / or the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the second electrical connector is a porous electrode.

3. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the curve segment is an arc, and the pitch between adjacent curve segments is equal or unequal.

4. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the pitch between adjacent curve segments satisfies that the potential distribution formed by the liquid crystal lens is a spherical distribution, a conical surface distribution or a paraboloid surface distribution.

5. A high-resistance film is provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, or a high-resistance film is provided between the second electrode layer and the second transparent substrate, or an insulating layer is provided between the second electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, or a high-resistance film is provided between the insulating layer and the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal lens according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

6. Glasses characterized by including the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1.

7. VR / AR equipment characterized by including the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1.

8. An electronic product including a control circuit and the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the liquid crystal lens.

9. A method for driving a liquid crystal lens for driving the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1, wherein the first driving voltage is V1 and the second driving voltage is V2. S1, a step of obtaining the liquid crystal linear response voltage range of the liquid crystal lens. S2. Obtaining the minimum voltage V ｍｉｎ and the maximum voltage V ｍａｘ within the liquid crystal linear operation range based on the liquid crystal linear response voltage range; S3. To adjust the power of the liquid crystal lens and / or switch the state of the liquid crystal lens between a positive lens and a negative lens, a minimum voltage V ｍｉｎ and a maximum voltage V ｍａｘ are used to adjust the voltage difference between V1 (V ｍｉｎ ≤ V1 ≤ V ｍａｘ ) and V2 (V ｍｉｎ ≤ V2 ≤ V ｍａｘ ). A method for driving a liquid crystal lens, characterized by comprising the above steps.

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